Chinese gold mine blast kills 46

Reports from China say 46 miners died in an explosion at a gold mine in the north of the country after they were ordered to continue working despite an underground fire.

A local newspaper quoted a survivor as saying several tonnes of explosives were ignited at the mine in Shanxi province on Saturday. More than 100 miners were underground at the time.

The newspaper accused the mine owners of trying to cover up the blast by removing bodies under the cover of night.

An official at the work safety bureau in Beijing said an investigation was under way, but could not confirm the casualty figures.

The blast happened just two days after an explosion at a coal mine in the north-eastern province of Heilongjiang killed more than 100 people.

More than five-thousand miners in China died in accidents last year.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service